What would a city like Blue Springs be without a good book store?
Will Leathem, co-owner of Prospero’s Books in Kansas City, can’t imagine such a thing – and he certainly couldn’t imagine a city like Blue Springs without the kind of book store he and another owner will be reopening on Friday.
“The people I’ve met here in Westport have ties to the Blue Springs area, and throughout the years they have been asking us to move out to the area,” Leathem said. “They’ve kept telling us, ‘You’ve got to move out to Blue Springs, you have to.’”
They got their wish.
Beginning Friday and lasting through Sunday, Parkside Books, 208, N. Missouri 7, will officially celebrate its grand reopening as Prospero’s Parkside Books. An accompanying tent sale will offer thousands of titles for as little as $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardbacks.
Half of the money raised this weekend will benefit two regional non-profits: Write the Future and Hope House.
Leathem showed interested in the store in April after he received word that one of the owners at the Blue Springs store was retiring.
Opening the Westport location in1997, Leathem was familiar with not only the Eastern Jackson County area but also its people, many of whom traveled the half hour to the store and encouraged him to someday open another.
Significant changes have already been made to the Blue Springs store, including a new layout, improved lighting and an open space that will accommodate events. The new store will also sell used movies (DVD and VHS) and music.
In the past, Parkside Books only traded with customers, but Leathem said there will be more effort to purchase merchandise from the public.
Since 1997, Leathem has hosted 800 live music shows at the Kansas City store and hundreds of book signings – two concepts that draw people in and form a community.
So in the fall, Prospero’s Parkside will be the site of a First Friday series of in-store art openings and live music. A full schedule of such events is forthcoming, Leathem said.
For Beth King, the reopening is a dream come true.
“The store was up for sale last year, but last January wasn’t a good time to try and sell anything,” she said.
A co-owner since 2006, King had no idea how the situation would be resolved. Then Leathem approached her and saw potential in the store and surrounding area.
“I offered to co-manage with him and we went from there,” she said. “I knew there was potential in the store.”
Since the arrangement was finalized, both owners worked to scale down inventory. King realized that she had many books no one was interested in buying.
“We really took stock of what was here and started focusing on what people want, which we found out was history books,” she said. “There will be a much bigger selection of history.”
In addition to history, categories in fiction, spirituality, poetry, biography and science fiction will be expanded.
“This is good news,” she said. “You know how it is when a dream comes true?”
Prospero's is excited to announce the GRAND OPEINGING (and huge Tent Sale w/1,000s of $1 & $2 books) of its second location. Yes, we are headed to the 'BURBS!
GRAND OPENING! ~ Prospero's Parkside (note: this is a 2nd store)
Tent Sale – 1,000’s of books
When: July 16 & 17 (Fri & Sat) - 9am to 7pm
July 18 (Sun) noon to 6pm
Where: 208 N. 7 Highway (.75 miles south of I-70 on the East side by Zarda BBQ)
GRAND OPENING: 1,000s of sale books will be priced at $1 a paperback and $2 a hardback. Fifty percent of proceeds from sale books will go to benefit two regional nonprofits: Write the Future and Hope House.
The old Parkside Books has been remodeled. The new (much more feng shui) layout, improved lighting and expanded event space make Prospero’s Parkside more open and customer friendly. Inventory offerings in all categories have been updated, and many sections have been expanded. In addition, Prospero's Parkside will offer used movies (DVD and VHS) and music (CD and Vinyl).
Offering over 20,000 titles in 50 categories, Prospero’s Parkside is one of the few used bookstores offering customers trade credit in exchange for their gently used books, movies and music (and yes, your trade credit is good at either location [note: Prospero's Parkside allows you to use up to 50% of your purchase price in trade).
Prospero's Parkside offers a large children’s room, and our popular "Free Books for Kids" baskets (where kids 6 and under are encouraged to take a free book with every visit) will be available.
“When Marilyn decided to retire, so many of our wonderful customers worried that we might close,” notes Beth King. “It is so exciting to partner with Kansas City’s own Prospero’s Books. Prospero’s enjoys a national literary reputation like other great, used bookstores: Powell’s Books of Portland, The Strand of New York City, or City Lights of San Francisco. I know that this new partnership will allow us to keep growing and to offer a wider selection of books, movies and music, and to better serve the book-buying needs of Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Easter Jackson County and beyond.”
Beginning in the Fall, Prospero’s Parkside will begin hosting a First Friday series of in-store art openings and live music – where you can catch the same great artists and musicians you hear at Prospero’s midtown. A full schedule of author events, open mic poetry readings, and arts events is also in the works. (call for artist: if you live in Eastern Jackson county please let us know if you have visual art or music you want to share: email w84gdo@prosperosbookstore.com)
Write the Future is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the literary arts. After two years of painstaking work, Write the Future is now a reality. A special thanks to all those who worked to make it so.
Protest Attracts International Attenton (Thanks CNN & Stephen Colbert)
Nov 30, -1
burning book
Q1: Why burn books?
A: As a cultural wake-up call.
Burning books is an inflammatory act. Books can contain our most sacred and valuable thoughts. The Nazis burned books to keep people from reading them. Prospero's burned books to incite you to read - by not reading, the culture is empowering forces like the Nazis. It's giving them exactly what they want without a fight.
Beth King - Parkside
Prospero's Parkside Logo
Write the Future
burning book